Gas and air mixing device



c. H. WERLIN.

GAS AND AIR MIXING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILEDJUNE 7. I920.

Patented Nov. 15, 1921.

GAS AND AIR MIXING nnvron.

Application filed .Tune 7,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES H. WERLIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas and Air Mixing Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in proportional gas and air mixing devices, and has for its object to provide a device of this character which is capable of being used in conjunction with gas burning mechanisms for the purpose of insuring complete combustion of intermingled quantities of the gas and air and to generally increase the thermal efficiency of the burner mechanisms employed in connection therewith.

The invention accordingly consists in the provision of a mixing shell having air inlet openings formed therein and a valve mechanism leading into the shell, together with means operating automatically and proportionately with the opening of the valve mechanism for increasing the effective size of the air openings in the shell and in combination with additional means of a reciprocatory nature whereby the effective size of these air openings may be initially set or may be adjusted at various times to suit changing conditions of draft and gas pres sure.

Another object of the invention resides in a device of the above character wherein the air openings in the mixing shell are opened or closed by means of a rotatable shutter structure, whichis mounted for r0- tation within the shell by being connected with the elongated tubular stem of the gas admitting valve, the construction being such that the rotation of said valve will simultaneously operate to rotate the shutter structure, thereby providing means whereby air will be admitted into the mixing shell in proportion to the volume of gas discharged into the latter through said valve mechanism.

With these and other objects in view, as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention further consists in the novel features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts, hereinafter to be fully described and setforth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, and in which simi- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 15, 1921.

1920. Serial No. 386,954.

lar characters of reference denote like and corresponding parts:

I Figure l is a side elevation of the proportional air and gas mixing device comprising the preferred form of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken through the device,

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken. along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the shutter structure.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates the improved air and gas mixing device comprising the present invention in its entirety. As shown, this device is adapted to be situated normally between a gas pipe or main 2 and a burner mechanism 3, and by use of the device the gas may be properly intermingled with air in effective proportions so that complete combustion thereof may take place upon ignition at the burner mechanism, the construction of the device allowing for irregularities and fluctuations in gas pressures and also for varying draft and climatic conditions.

To this end, the device 1 is formed to embody a substantially L-shaped valve casing 4:, this casing being provided at its lower said casing may be directly coupled with the pipe 2. Also, a vertical bore 6 extends through the vertical length of the casing and terminates in a conical valve seat 7 formed in the spherical head 8 of the casing. The seat 7 terminates, in turn, in a horizontal port 9 which-is formed in the horizontal portion 10 of said casing. A valve 11 is designed to be horizontally and is adapted to control the flow of gas from the pipe 2 through the apparatus. This .valve comprises an inwardly tapering body 12 in which a transverse port 13 is provided, said port being so disposed that upon the rotation of the valve the same may register with the bore 6, thereby permitting the fuel to flow from said port into the horizontal gas passageway 14 provided in the elongated horizontally extending stem 15 of the valve 11, said stem constituting a continuation of the conical body portion 12. The outer end of the valve 11 may be equipped with a suitable form of manipulating handle 16.

end with threads 5 by means of which 1 rotatably positioned within the casing i and l The horizontal portion 10 of the valve portion 10, and a lock casing is suitably threaded as indicated by the numeral 17 and is thereby designed to threadedly receive the hollow mixing shell 18 of the device. This mixing shell is provided with a closed end wall 19 in which is provided an axially threaded opening designed to receive the threaded end of the nut 20 is also threaded upon the portion 10, and is designed to engage with the wall 19 for the purpose of maintaining the adjusted positions of the mixing shell upon the valve casing, for a purpose to be hereinafter more fully set forth. The mixing shell further includes a tubular body portion 21 in which a plurality of substantially rectangular openings 22 are provided for the purpose of admitting airinto the shell; The outer end of said shell isopen, and this open end is designed to be received within a ring 23 which is employed to connect said shell with the communicating end 24 of the burner mechanism 8, said ring being provided with a set screw'25 or an equivalent for the purpose of preventing undue relativemovement between the end'24= of the burner mechanism and the shell 18. f

The outer end of the stem 15 of the valve receives a threaded extension 26, said extension is provided with a bore 27 formed to communicate with the passageway 14:, whereby upon the proper manipulation of V the valve 11 gas will b permitted to flow from the pipe 2, through the passageway 14 so that the same will be discharged from the bore 27 into the mixing'shell. In order to regulate and roportionthe amount of air delivered into t e mixing shell in accord ance with the volume of gas passing from the extension 26, use is made of a rotatable shutter structure 28. This structure consists essentially of a metallic sleeve which is longitudinally slotted to provide spaced closures 29, which operate to governthe effective width of the air openings 22 formed in the mixer shell. The shutter structure itself is formed to include a perpendicular wall 30 which is concentrically mounted upon the extension 26 and is suitably secured to'the latter so as to rotate therewith,

Hence it will be manifest that owing to the connection between the extension 26 and the valve 11, said shutter structure will be rotated in unison with the opening and closing movements of said valve. A spring 31 of the helical type is positioned between the [horizontal portion 10 of the valve casing Y and the wall 30 of the shutter structure, said spring thereby serving to force the body 12 of the valve into firmly seated engagement.

with the conical valve seat 7, a feature which prevents undue gas leakage in the device and also serves to maintain the positions of rotatable adjustment on the part of the shutter structure 28. In addition to the air employ: a sliding adjustment afforded by the rotatable shutter structure, it has been found desirable to sleeve 32 upon the outer surface of the mixing shell,'and by virtue of this sleeve it will bemanifest that the effective area of the openings 22 may be carefully regulated by the mere sliding adjustment of the sleeve 32. The use of the sleeve 32 is highly advantageous when the device is employed in connection .with burner :mechanisms using natural gas or other'similar fluids wherein the pressures thereof are inclined to fluctuate without notice and to marked extents.

From the foregoingdescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing it will be apparent that there is provided a proportional gas and air mixing device wherein the proper volumes of air and gas may be supplied and intermingled so that complete and economical combustion thereof may take place and that the adjustments provided permit the device to be adapted to the varying draft and gas pressures encountered in practical use. It will be observed that the shell 18 may be circumferentially adjusted upon the horizontal portion 10 of the valve casing and maintained in any such position of adjustment by the provision of the look nut 20. Thus, by virtue of this adjustment the action of the closurers 29 of the shutter structure may be retarded or accelerated with respect to their opening and closing movements in governing the air admitting'openings in the mixing shell. Thus, it may occur that the gas should be turned on to some extent before ture may be circumferentially rotated to' any desired. position with respect to the shutter structure, hence by virtue of this adjustment the immediate effectiveness of said shutter structure may be regulated to suit particular requirements. Then, by

directly connecting said shutter structure with the valve 11 it will be apparent that as the valv is opened or closed to control gas flow therethrough the said shutter structure will be rotated in unison therewith so as to cover or uncover the openings 22, thus automatically performing the ofiice of supplying the interior of the device with an amountof air adequate to suit the carbureting demands set upby the inflow of gas into the device. The final adjustment is obtained by the sliding sleeve 32 which may be manually adjusted in an independent manner, with respect to the shutter structure, to also govern the effective area of the airinlet openings of the device. The spring 31 also serves in the dual capacity of maintaining the valve in a firmly seated position within the casing 4 and acts upon the shutter structure to maintain the rotational positions of adjustment of the latter. In view of the foregoing it is believed that the princi ale of operation and construction found in the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art and therefore a more extended cxplanation has been accordingly omitted.

What its claimed is 1. In a proportional air and gas mixing device, a valve casing, a valve rotatably mounted within said casing for governing fuel flow therethrough, a mixing shell having an air opening formed therein threadedly mounted upon the outlet end of said casing, an air shutter rotatable with said valve and disposed within said mixer and operable upon the rotation of said valve to increase. or decrease the effective area of said air opening, a slidable sleeve mounted upon said mixer and operable in conjunction with said shutter to control the effective area of said opening, and lockingmeans for retaining said mixer in various positions of circumferential adjustment with respect to said air shutter, whereby the efiective operation of said shutter in opening or clos ing said air opening may be retarded or accelerated.

2. In a proportional air and gas mixing device, a valve casing having a fuel passage formed therein, a rotatably mounted valve positioned within said casing, said valve being formed to include an elongated stem having a longitudinally extending fuel passage arranged for communication with the passage in said casing upon rotation of said valve, a mixing shell formed to provide an air opening, means operating to adjusta-bly connect said mixer shell with said casing and to situate the shell concentrically with respect to the stem of said valve, a shutter structure carried by said stem and cooperative with the air opening provided in said shell, whereby upon rotation of said valve said shutter will be actuated to govern the effective area of said opening, and means operating to retain said shutter in its various positions of adjustment.

3. In a proportional air and gas mixing device, a valve casing, a valve rotatably mounted within said casing and capable of opening or closing a fuel port provided in said casing, said valve being formed to include a longitudinally extending hollow stem, a mixing shell mounted upon said casing and arranged to extend longitudinally and concentrically of said stem, a shutter carried by said stem and cooperative with an air opening provided in said shell, said shutter serving to regulate the effective area of said opening in a manner proportional to the volume of fuel issuing from said stem, means whereby said shell may be maintained in various positionsof circumferential adjustment with respect to said shutter, and a longitudinally movable sleeve surrounding said shell and operative in conjunction with said shutter to control the effective area of said opening.

4. In a gas valve and mixer structure, a mixing shell having an air opening, a valve casing upon which said mixing shell is rotatably adjusted, a valve leading into said shell, a rotatable shutter carried by said valve and formed to cooperate with said air opening to regulate the effective area of the latter in a manner proportional to the volume of fuel issuing from said valve, a spring for retaining sald shutter in its vari ous positions of adjustment, and means for maintaining the positions of adjustment of said mixing shell upon said casing, said latter means serving to permit of relative circumferential adjustment between said shell and shutter.

5. In a proportional air and mixing structure, a mixing shell having air openings formed therein, valve casing upon which said mixing shell is carried, said casing being provided with a substantially con ical valve seat, a valve rotatably positioned within said seat and provided with a stem leading into said mixing shell. a shutter carried by said stem and formed to cooperate with said air openings to increase the effective size of said openings as the valve is opened, and spring means situated around said stem and located between said shutter and said casing and serving to draw said valve longitudinally into engagement with its conical seat.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

CHARLES H. WERLIN. 

